Nursing homes and other care environments for seniors are expected to keep seniors safe. Part of that means preventing seniors from wandering away and causing injury to themselves.
Seniors with certain conditions such as dementia are especially vulnerable to wandering away. They may become confused and may wander off nursing home grounds. They may not have the ability to cross a street safely and may wander into higher-traffic areas. Elderly nursing home residents need to be carefully supervised and steps need to be taken to prevent pedestrian accidents.
There are many things nursing homes can do prevent residents from wandering away and sustaining injury:
- Adequate supervision
- Added precautions for seniors with dementia and similar conditions
- Closing doors and securing grounds
- Having an alarm system to ensure staff know when someone leaves the grounds
- Having regular checks and adequate staff to keep track of all residents
Unfortunately, accidents occur each year because nursing homes are not cautious enough in protecting residents. In some cases, residents who wander off are injured or even killed in traffic accidents in South Florida or Hollywood. In other cases, residents can sustain injury in other ways. They can injure themselves by getting lost or can fall victim to crime. There have even been cases of nursing home residents who have wandered away from a nursing home and have drowned in a pool or fountain.
Nursing home negligence in Hollywood which leads to residents wandering off can be caused by many problems, including:
- Understaffing
- Inadequate staff training
- Poorly secured grounds
- Insufficient safety policies
- Negligence and recklessness on the part of staff
- Poor supervision systems
My Loved One Has Been Injured in a Hollywood or Florida Nursing Home—What Should I Do?
Anytime a nursing home resident is injured on the grounds, an investigation is warranted. It is especially important to be wary if a resident is injured off the grounds. Did the resident have permission to leave the grounds? Were they supervised? Did the nursing home just fail to notice someone wandered away? In some cases, a resident being injured off the grounds is an indication of negligence and poor supervision.
If a loved one is injured, it is important to talk to a Hollywood nursing home abuse and negligence attorney. You may wish to remove your loved one from an unsafe environment before they sustain a worse injury. You may also want to launch a legal claim against the nursing home to seek compensation so you can pay for your family member’s medical bills and relocation to a safer environment. By holding liable nursing homes responsible, you may also be ensuring important safety measures are implemented. You may be able to prevent others from being injured by holding nursing homes accountable.
If you need to speak to a nursing home abuse and negligence attorney in Hollywood or surrounding areas, contact Flaxman Law Group for a free accident consultation to discuss your case. Our team of attorneys has more than 60 years of combined experience helping families like yours.